SuperCoach Captains Guide — Round 3 2026

Round 3 has a trap that's going to catch a lot of coaches. Four teams are on the bye — including Western Bulldogs and Sydney. If you were planning to captain Bontempelli or Grundy this week, stop and read this first.

Here's the full picture.

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The Bye Trap — Read This Before Anything Else

Round 3 byes: Gold Coast, Hawthorn, Sydney, Western Bulldogs.

Players you cannot captain this round:

• Marcus Bontempelli (WBD) — does not play
• Tim English (WBD) — does not play
• Brodie Grundy (Sydney) — does not play
• Errol Gulden (Sydney, also injured) — does not play

If any of these are in your captain slot right now, fix it before lockout.

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Tier 1 — Captain These

Tristan Xerri (NMK, RUC) — The Pick

Xerri scored 199 in Round 2. That's the highest ruck score of the 2026 season so far, and it's not a fluke — North Melbourne are using him as the engine of their forward press, and the ruck rule changes have amplified his value rather than dented it.

He plays Round 3. He's in form. He's the captain.

Why he's the pick: 199 is a ceiling that makes any loop decision easy. If he hits 140+, you're already in front of most of the field. His floor through two rounds has been elite.

Risk: North Melbourne lose badly and the game becomes meaningless. But even in garbage time, Xerri racks up hitouts.

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Nick Daicos (COL, MID) — Best Non-Ruck Option

Collingwood plays GWS in Round 3. Daicos has been the best midfielder not named Bontempelli when Collingwood are running hot, and GWS away is a favourable matchup.

If you don't own Xerri, Daicos is your captain.

Why he's the pick: Collingwood home game, clear run through the middle, ceiling of 150+ in the right game.

Risk: Inconsistent between rounds. He's not Bont's consistency, but Bont isn't available this week.

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Max Gawn (MEL, RUC) — Solid Floor

Gawn went 141 in Round 2. Melbourne play Round 3, matchup to be confirmed. At $689,600 and scoring 141, he's elite — just not Xerri right now.

Why he's the pick: If you own Gawn and not Xerri, this is your ceiling. 141 doubled is 282 — you're still having a good week.

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Tier 2 — Solid Floors, Lower Ceiling

Clayton Oliver (MEL, MID) — Melbourne plays. Massive ceiling in wins, goes missing in losses. Matchup-dependent.

Tom Stewart (GEO, DEF) — Geelong plays Thursday vs Adelaide. At $500,900 with a floor around 100, he's a legitimate VC option for the loophole. Doesn't have Xerri's ceiling but if he goes 120 on Thursday, it's a decision worth making.

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VC Strategy: The Round 3 Framework

After the English dilemma last round (114 — loop or hold?), here's how to think about it for Round 3:

Set VC on Stewart or Gawn (Thursday night — Geelong vs Adelaide is the earliest game). Set C on Xerri.

Then:

• VC scores 130+ → loop it. You're locking in certainty and Xerri might DNF.
• VC scores 90-110 → captain Xerri, no question.
• VC scores 110-130 → judge Xerri's matchup. If North Melbourne are in a contest and he's likely to go 130+, stick. If it's a blowout either way, loop.

The VC loophole explained guide has the full decision tree.

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Who to Avoid as Captain

Bontempelli, English, Grundy, Gulden — bye or injured. Not playing. Zero doubled is zero.

Injury returnees — Rozee pending confirmation. Don't captain anyone not confirmed in the team sheet.

Players on bye teams — double-check your captain isn't from Gold Coast, Hawthorn, Sydney, or the Bulldogs.

Mid-pricers and rookies — their floor doesn't justify the captain slot.

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The Bottom Line

Xerri as C. Stewart or Gawn as early VC for the loophole.

If you were planning to captain Bont — you can't this week. He'll be back Round 4 and will remain the consensus captain for the rest of the season. For Round 3: Xerri is the pick, Daicos is the backup if you don't own him.

Check your lineup before lockout. The bye trap is real.